As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 23, 2002 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Registration No. 333- SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 EL PASO CORPORATION (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 76-0568816 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) El Paso Building 1001 Louisiana Street Houston, Texas 77002 (713) 420-2600 (Address, including zip code, of Principal Executive Offices) EL PASO CORPORATION EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN (Full title of the plans) Peggy A. Heeg, Esq. Executive Vice President and General Counsel El Paso Building 1001 Louisiana Street Houston, Texas 77002 (713) 420-2600 (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service) CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE Proposed Maximum Proposed Amount to Offering Maximum Amount be Price Aggregate of Title of Securities Registered Per Offering Registration to be Registered (1)(2) Share(3) Price(3) Fee(3) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Stock 3,000,000 $13.56 $40,680,000 $3,742.55 shares (1) This Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate amount of additional shares which become issuable to prevent dilution in the event of stock splits, stock dividends or similar adjustments of the outstanding Common Stock of the Registrant. (2) In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the employee benefit plan described herein. (3) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h), based upon the average of the high and low prices of a share of the Registrant's Common Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange and in The Wall Street Journal, or any other comparable service the Plan Administrator may determine is reliable for July 22, 2002. PART I INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS This Registration Statement on Form S-8 is being filed solely to register additional securities. In accordance with General Instruction E of Form S-8, the Registrant hereby incorporates by reference the contents of the Registrant's registration statement on Form S-8 No. 333-78949 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the El Paso Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Item 8. Exhibits. Exhibit Number Description ------- ----------- 5.1 Opinion of Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP regarding the legality of the securities being registered hereunder. 10.1 El Paso Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan Amended and Restated effective as of January 29, 2002. 23.1 Consent of Counsel (included in the opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Registration Statement). 23.2 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. 23.3 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP. 23.4 Consent of Huddleston & Co. Inc. 24.1 Power of Attorney (set forth on the signature page contained in Part II of this Registration Statement). SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on this 23rd day of July 2002. EL PASO CORPORATION By: /s/ William A. Wise ________________________ William A. Wise Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer POWER OF ATTORNEY Each person whose individual signature appears below hereby authorizes H. Brent Austin and Peggy A. Heeg, and each of them, as attorneys-in-fact with full power of substitution, to execute in the name and on behalf of such person, individually and in each capacity stated below, and to file, any and all amendments to this Registration Statement, including any and all post- effective amendments. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates as indicated. Signature Title Date _________ _____ _____ Chairman of the /s/ William A. Wise Board, President, July 23, 2002 _____________________ Chief Executive William A. Wise Officer and Director /s/ H. Brent Austin Executive Vice July 23, 2002 ____________________ President H. Brent Austin and Chief Financial Officer Senior Vice /s/ Jeffrey I. Beason President and July 23, 2002 _____________________ Controller Jeffrey I. Beason (Chief Accounting Officer) /s/ Byron Allumbaugh Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ Byron Allumbaugh /s/ John M. Bissell Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ John M. Bissell /s/ Juan Carlos Braniff Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ Juan Carlos Braniff /s/ James F. Gibbons Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ James F. Gibbons /s/ Anthony W. Hall, Jr. Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ Anthony W. Hall, Jr. /s/ Ronald L. Kuehn, Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ Ronald L. Kuehn, Jr. /s/ J. Carleton MacNeil, Jr. Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ J. Carleton MacNeil, Jr. /s/ Thomas R. McDade Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ Thomas R. McDade /s/ Malcolm Wallop Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ Malcolm Wallop /s/ Joe B. Wyatt Director July 23, 2002 _____________________ Joe B. Wyatt The Plan. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the trustees (or other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on this 23rd day of July 2002. EL PASO CORPORATION EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN By: /s/ H. Brent Austin ------------------------- H. Brent Austin Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit Number Description 5.1 Opinion of Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP regarding the legality of the securities being registered hereunder. 10.1 El Paso Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan Amended and Restated effective as of January 29, 2002. 23.1 Consent of Counsel (included in the opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Registration Statement). 23.2 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. 23.3 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP. 23.4 Consent of Huddleston & Co. Inc. 24.1 Power of Attorney (set forth on the signature page contained in Part II of this Registration Statement).